Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.1 · verse 152 of the four thousand
Meaning
(Yashoda calls the child to His bath.) You are covered with the sour smell of the butter You have been dabbling in and the dust of Your games; I will not let You lie down tonight with all that caked on You. I have been waiting here so long with oil and tamarind. Lord so hard to reach, Narayana, come for Your bath.
Word by word
- veṇṇey aḷainta kuṇuṅkum
- the stale smell of the butter You dabbled in
- viḷaiyāṭu puḻutiyum
- the dust of Your play
- nāṉ oṭṭēṉ
- I will not allow it
- eṇṇey puḷippaḻam
- oil and tamarind, for washing and cleansing
- naṇṇal ariya pirāṉē
- Lord so hard to approach
- nīrāṭa vārāy
- come for Your bath
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.2 · verse 153 of the four thousand
Meaning
You catch big black ants and drop them into the calves' ears to make them bolt. If they run wild and are lost, I will see how You gather up butter to gulp down then! You who brought down the standing sal trees, today is Thiruvonam, the star of Your birth, and You must have Your bath today. My Lord, do not run away; come.
Word by word
- kaṭṭeṟumpu
- big black ants
- teṉṟik keṭum ākil
- if they scatter and are lost
- tiraṭṭi viḻuṅkumā kāṇpaṉ
- I will see how You gather it and gulp it
- niṉṟa marāmaram cāyttāy
- You who felled the standing sal trees, as Rama
- tiruvōṇam
- Thiruvonam, Sravana, the Lord's birth star
- ōṭātē vārāy
- do not run off; come
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.3 · verse 154 of the four thousand
Meaning
Ever since I saw You drink at the demoness's breast my heart has not been still; even when all the cowherd women gathered and cried out, I still gave You my breast. I have filled the great cauldron with water warmed with nelli, the gooseberry. Gem-coloured one, whose fame is so rightly Yours, come for Your bath.
Word by word
- pēycci mulai uṇṇak kaṇṭu
- seeing You drink at the demoness's breast
- nillātu eṉneñcam
- my heart will not be still
- kāycciṉa nīroṭu nelli
- water warmed with gooseberry
- kaṭārattiṟ pūrittu
- filling the great cauldron
- vāytta pukaḻ maṇivaṇṇā
- gem-coloured one of fitting fame
- mañcaṉam āṭa
- to take Your holy bath
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.4 · verse 155 of the four thousand
Meaning
Lord who kicked the cruel cart that came at Kamsa's scheming, and set Your mouth to the breast of the deceitful demoness until she died! I have brought turmeric, a wreath of red water-lilies, fragrant sandal paste and kohl for Your eyes. Beautiful one, come for Your bath.
Word by word
- kañcaṉ puṇarppiṉil
- by Kamsa's scheming
- kaṭiya cakaṭam
- the cruel cart
- vañcakap pēymakaḷ tuñca
- so that the deceitful demoness died
- ceṅkaḻunīriṉ vācikaiyum
- a wreath of red water-lilies
- naṟuñcāntum
- fragrant sandal paste
- añcaṉamum
- kohl, collyrium for the eyes
- aḻakaṉē
- O beautiful one
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.5 · verse 156 of the four thousand
Meaning
I have baked appams and other little snacks, with jaggery mixed in milk, and kept them ready. If You are set on eating them, Nambi, remember: the young girls will talk behind Your back and laugh at You. You must have a proper bath. I bow to You, my Lord, come here!
Word by word
- appam kalanta ciṟṟuṇṭi
- appams and other little snacks
- akkāram pāliṟ kalantu
- with jaggery mixed in milk
- tiṉṉal uṟutiyēl
- if You are set on eating
- ciṟupuṟam pēcic cirippar
- will talk behind Your back and laugh
- coppaṭa nīrāṭa vēṇṭum
- You must bathe properly
- cōttam pirāṉ
- I bow to You, Lord
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.6 · verse 157 of the four thousand
Meaning
Lord who rolls the oil pot over, pinches the little baby awake, rolls Your eyes and stares, and gets up to every kind of mischief! I will give You fruits to eat. Nambi, whose lovely colour is like the swelling waters of the roaring sea, come for Your bath.
Word by word
- eṇṇeyk kuṭattai uruṭṭi
- rolling the oil pot over
- iḷampiḷḷai kiḷḷi eḻuppik
- pinching the baby awake
- kaṇṇaip puraṭṭi viḻittuk
- rolling Your eyes and staring
- kaḻakaṇṭu ceyyum
- who gets up to mischief
- olikaṭal ōtanīr pōlē
- like the swelling waters of the roaring sea
- vaṇṇam aḻakiya nampī
- Nambi of lovely colour
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.7 · verse 158 of the four thousand
Meaning
Good milk fresh from the cow, curd, and the butter churned and set up in the hanging sling: from the day You were born I have never once had any of them, my Lord. Yet so that no one can say a fine mother spreads tales about her own son, I will never, even by a slip, speak of it before others. Come for Your bath.
Word by word
- kaṟanta naṟpālum
- good milk fresh from the cow
- uṟimēl vaitta veṇṇey
- butter kept in the hanging sling
- peṟṟaṟiyēṉ
- I have never had
- alar tūṟṟum
- spreads gossip
- maṟantum uraiyāṭa māṭṭēṉ
- I will not speak of it even by a slip
- mañcaṉam āṭa
- to take Your bath
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.8 · verse 159 of the four thousand
Meaning
You tied a palm leaf to a calf's tail, flung it at a tree so that the fruits came tumbling down, and then, it seems, You ran after a snake, caught it and made it dance. Nambi, I cannot keep up with You! Today is Your blessed birthday, and You must have a good bath. Narayana, do not run away; come.
Word by word
- vāl ōlai kaṭṭi
- tying a palm leaf to its tail
- kaṉikaḷ utira eṟintu
- flinging it so the fruits fell
- pāmpaip piṭittukkoṇṭu āṭṭiṉāy
- You caught a snake and made it dance, Kaliya
- niṉtiṟattēṉ allēṉ
- I am no match for You
- tiru naṉṉāḷ
- the blessed day, Your birthday
- nāraṇā
- Narayana
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.9 · verse 160 of the four thousand
Meaning
You went into the cattle pen and rolled in the dust, and I love to look at Your golden body all covered in it; but people who see You will laugh at You. You have no shame at all! If Nappinnai sees You, she will laugh. My ruby, my precious gem, come for Your bath.
Word by word
- pūṇit toḻuviṉiṟ pukkup
- going into the pen of the cattle
- poṉ-mēṉi
- golden body
- kaṇṭār paḻippar
- those who see will mock
- nāṇ ittaṉaiyum ilātāy
- You who have not the least shame
- nappiṉṉai
- Nappinnai, the cowherd girl the Lord loves
- māṇikkamē eṉmaṇiyē
- my ruby, my gem
Periyalwar Tirumozhi 2.4.10 · verse 161 of the four thousand
Meaning
Yashoda, full of love for Kannapiran, whose body has the colour of the rain-cloud, gave Him His bath; and Bhattarpiran, Periyalwar, lord of ancient Puduvai, famed over the earth, sang how she did it. Those who can sing this glorious, pure Tamil will have no evil deeds left at all.
Word by word
- kār mali mēṉi niṟattuk
- with a body the colour of the rain-cloud
- kaṇṇapirāṉai
- Kannapiran, Lord Krishna
- mañcaṉam āṭṭiya āṟṟaip
- the way she bathed Him
- tol putuvaik kōṉ
- lord of ancient Puduvai, Srivilliputtur
- paṭṭarpirāṉ
- Bhattarpiran, Periyalwar
- centamiḻ
- pure, beautiful Tamil
- tīviṉai yātum ilarē
- will have no evil deeds at all
Verse text: the word-separated e-text of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Project Madurai, checked verse by verse against its second edition. Meanings are simple renderings in the light of the acharyas' commentaries, written for this site, and are awaiting a scholar's review.